


Sun. Moon. Star.

by sugalights



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blacksmith Taehyung, Church Sex, Cunnilingus, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fantasy, Incomplete, Knight Jeon Jungkook, Knight Kim Seokjin | Jin, Magic, Minor Violence, Oral Sex, Originally Posted on Tumblr, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Romance, Sickening Romantic Drivel, Smut, Unprotected Sex, soap opera level dramatics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:03:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugalights/pseuds/sugalights
Summary: Each day you grew more frustrated that Taehyung was taking so long to make you his wife. Until the day the truth of your forgotten past was uncovered and threatened to tear you both apart for good.
Relationships: Kim Taehyung | V/Reader
Comments: 13
Kudos: 54





	Sun. Moon. Star.

**Author's Note:**

> -This work is incomplete. Please go into reading this knowing it will not be continued.-
> 
> This is an old story I originally posted on Tumblr back in 2018. I’ve since reworked it a little and, because I love it so much, I wanted to share it here. It was meant to be part of a Taehyung x Reader x Jimin series, but it’s unlikely I’ll ever get to write the rest — I write slow and have too many other projects. I really hope you are able to enjoy and appreciate it as it is. Taehyung brings out the deep romantic in me like no one else.
> 
> Additional warning: The pull-out method is not a reliable way to prevent pregnancy. Please use reliable methods of contraception.

Taehyung's eyes settled on the thick, glass tankard on the table in front of him. He watched pale vapors of steam curl off the surface of his honeyed mead, carrying the scents of cinnamon and clove towards him, the drink tempting every ounce of his focus. However, his senses were drawn back to his ears only a moment later, thanks to the slurring, inebriated voice bellowing from the table nearby.

"What was that, lad? You got something to say?"

Oh, he had plenty to say. And Mr. Cho must have wanted to hear it considering he had seen Taehyung take a solitary seat at the small table near him and his two companions not long ago. He must have really been dying to hear what Taehyung had to say, as he'd made a point to raise his voice afterward and drone on and on in vivid complaint. Specifically, complaining about you. Well, you and your aunt and the apparent extortion the pair of you were committing against him for his daughter’s wedding gown.

On and on he had gone for five minutes at least, souring the taste of Taehyung's drink as his talk had moved on to mediocre, dull-witted insults about your gender, followed by baser suppositions about you, your bosom, and your maidenhead that was undoubtedly intact and ripe to be plucked by a skilled man like himself.

"I said-" Taehyung repeated, dragging his eyes up to meet the pair set deep into the older man's rounded, reddened face. "-I doubt she'd have any interest in a man that hasn't seen his cock in a decade." He leaned back in his chair, fighting the urge to let the acerbic smile tugging at his lips grow any wider. "Would be difficult to expertly wield a tool without having had vision of it for so long, I'd imagine."

"You little-" Mr. Cho sputtered, shooting up from his seat and stomping away from his wide-eyed friends until he was at Taehyung's table, towering over him. Taehyung's chair scraped lightly against the polished stone floor of the tavern. He unfolded onto long legs to meet his new tablemate. Mr. Cho was no man of small size or stature, still surpassing Taehyung by at least a head. But it didn't stop Taehyung from boldly meeting the man's eyes with a stubborn gaze of his own.

Which was an unfortunate mistake, as he didn't see the old man's fist coming at him off to the side. He reeled from the impact to his jaw, the weight of the sucker punch and the man behind the fist knocking him sideways. But Taehyung quickly steadied himself, eyes narrowing at his sudden attacker as he straightened upright.

"Your da's a good man," Mr. Cho spat, the smugness of his smile making Taehyung's vision blur several shades of red. "I'd really hate to have to drag home his disrespectful spawn. You think cause you got that pretty face you can disrespect who you like?"

Taehyung swiped the back of his hand across his mouth, more amused that Mr. Cho considered him pretty than anything. "You insulting the woman I'm courting is the only disrespect I’ve heard so far, sir," Taehyung said, running a tongue along the inside of his quickly swelling cheek and spitting at the floor after the last word.

Mr. Cho raised a fat finger, shaking it at Taehyung like a prodding threat.

"Your woman is a highway robber."

Taehyung offered a disinterested shrugged. "Her business is hers to run how she sees fit. I'm not going to defend her on that, she can defend herself." He took a step closer to Mr. Cho, closing the gap that his stumble had left and once again meeting the man's eyes.

"But another man talking about her like she's one of his syphilis-ridden mistresses?" He paused, pressing his fingers against his fist, the sharp crack of his knuckles echoing through the suddenly quiet tavern hall. "That's my business."

This time he was prepared for the swing, deftly stepping to the side as Mr. Cho reared back and lunged at him on wings of ruffled pride and intoxication. Taehyung swung his elbow back, knocking into the man's side and sending him hunched and tumbling to the floor. But Mr. Cho wasn't going down without a fight, grabbing a fistful of Taehyung’s shirt on his fall and pulling them both down to meet the stone together.

Taehyung had already scrambled to his knees when he saw meaty hands coming towards him, felt the sharp, searing heat against his already sore cheek. A light trickle of blood sprung from the skin, quickly dripping its way down his jaw.

"Scratching?” he asked in surprise. “Really? Children have more honor than that."

"You don't know the first thing about honor, Kim. Neither you nor that prissy little bitch of yours," Mr. Cho hissed, struggling to lift himself into a sitting position. Taehyung lunged onto him, three good punches knocking him back into the floor and leaving him in a dizzy pile. Taehyung grunted and pushed himself up off of the floor, pleased that he’d finally gotten that tongue to stop its wagging.

He backed up onto his feet, preparing himself for anyone that might come to the man's defense. But Mr. Cho's companions only looked amused, one chuckling and raising a glass to Taehyung before taking a sip of his own drink.

Hastily grabbing his glass from the table, he knocked back the rest of his golden swill in one fell swoop. Mr. Cho groaned from the floor and Taehyung set down his glass, tossing a few coins onto the table before turning to head out the tavern doors.

“Tae, at least clean up your mess,” an irritated voice shouted after him.

Taehyung didn’t bother looking back, waving an apologetic hand for the sake of the place’s forgiving owner. “His wife will come clean him up before long, Soomin. I left extra.”

He pushed open the door and headed out into the cool air of the night, wiping the back of his hand across his cheek only to pull back a smear of blood.

"Looks like you owe me," an all too familiar voice spoke and Taehyung's eyes went wide as they darted up and fell on you, the corner of your mouth tightened in disappointment at one end, and your aunt, her lips spread wide in a mischievous grin. His eyes darted towards the wide picture window next to you both, the wavering lights of the bar giving a clear view of the inside.

"You-" he stammered, holding up his hands. "-you didn't see anything. Whatever you think you saw, you're wrong."

“Oh, we saw the whole thing,” your aunt laughed, hands resting on her hips. “Even had time to bet on the winner.”

He raised an eyebrow, eyes returning to you. You only stared back with a half-grimace.

He stared.

You stared.

“She bet against you,” your aunt offered to break the silence.

“Y/N!” Taehyung said, incredulous. You threw up your hands in annoyed defeat.

“Mr. Cho is pretty scary looking, what can I say? I was so sure I’d win,” you said, kicking at the dirt path while your aunt gave another hearty laugh.

She handed you the small, woven bag she’d been carrying and stepped up to Taehyung, looking up at his face and tutting at the bloodied, reddened scar that was forming on his swelling cheek.

"You're no better than that scuffed up, ornery kid we met when we moved here," she said and Taehyung lowered his head in shame, lips puffing out into a pout. He mumbled something about not meaning to get into a fight.

You laughed as she licked her thumb and stroked it across his cheek and he hissed at the sting of contact. Your aunt always treated him this way, like he was one of her own and seeing him hang his head for her would always make you giggle. You watched him fondly as she gave him a gentle scolding, trying to remember how many times he’d had to endure her nagging discipline.

You didn't have many memories of your childhood years, certainly not any of your parents before they died. But around the time you turned eleven, you remembered exploring the town with your aunt, learning to navigate its busy streets. You remembered the way she always clicked her tongue at the disheveled farmer boy that delivered cotton to her shop and occasionally fresh milk and butter to your doorstep in the morning. The boy who always seemed to be in some kind of scuffle, defending younger, poorer boys from one bully or another.

You remembered how friendly that boy was to you when you got lost running errands, taking things from your arms and insisting on carrying them for you even if they weren't heavy. You remembered how he started bringing you flowers from his mother's garden when you said you liked the colors she grew there, leaving them on your windowsill or tied to bottles of milk with bits of twine. You remembered spending lazy afternoons chasing each other around in the nearby forest, sharing laughter and secrets and, eventually, more.

Taehyung had noticed your stare as you watched him from behind your aunt, a gentle smile spreading across his lips as he focused on you. Your aunt's gaze followed his and she sighed all too knowingly, heading back over to you and taking the bags from your hands.

"Don't be too long, Y/N. It's already after dark and we have a lot to do at home."

Before you could respond she was off and you tucked your now free hands behind your back, refusing to meet Taehyung's eyes again, still smiling to yourself.

"Really, getting into bar fights with drunk, old men? How embarrassing." You turned on your heel and started a slow stride down the road, smile growing a little wider when his footsteps started after you, long legs letting him catch up to your side in only a moment.

"Don't scold me for defending your honor. The man's got some nerve."

His hand slid down your arm, tugging it from behind your back and slipping his fingers between yours. A perfect puzzle, completed.

"My honor, is it? You looked like you were in the mood for a fight back there no matter what he’d said.”

“Mayhap one of words,” Taehyung huffed. “But Mr. Cho couldn't string together two syllables, so fists got involved. Nine bless the sorry son of a bitch that accepted him as a father-in-law.”

Old habits carried both of your steps towards the forest, the village pavement petering out into a dirt road lit with dim, sparsely oiled streetlamps and the moon, almost full and brightly shimmering overhead.

"I can't believe you'd bet against me," he mumbled as you reached the trees, pulling you under their branches and leaning you against the nearest one. The moonlight glittered in the dark of his eyes and you brought up a hand, fingers lightly brushing against his reddened cheek. He winced at your touch, either from the sting of the cut or the soreness of the swelling.

“You might have knocked him out, but you let him cause some damage first. Here,” you offered, pulling him a little further into the forest, away from the lights and potential eyes of the townsfolk.

Settling down near the base of a tree, you knelt between his legs and closed your eyes, focusing your energy. When you opened them again, you watched Taehyung’s eyes flick to the ball of soft, pale yellow light that rose just over your shoulder. He didn’t hide the awe in his eyes and you chuckled softly, as if he hadn’t seen it a million times by now.

You tilted his bruised and bloodied cheek towards the light, pressing your fingers against the warm skin. You could feel the heat building beneath your fingertips already, tingling from your skin and making the side of his face glow like a hint of moonbeam. Taehyung’s lips parted as his eyes closed, the softest moan escaping his lips. To you it always felt like warmth, like a summer breeze or a welcomed ray of sun rising from your body. But Taehyung always spoke of more when you healed his scrapes and bumps, like being kissed by a goddess, like you were filling him with your goodness and love.

When you were done you pulled your hand away, inspecting your work and giving him a small smile. No scar this time, a small fact that you felt proud of. You’d definitely improved, if the other remnants of scratches that lined his body were any indication. You wiped the back of your hand across your forehead, swiping away the dots of sweat that had appeared with the effort.

“You’re practically a professional at this now, considering how often I seem to get hurt,” Taehyung admitted, voice quiet as he stared at you with, a reverent smile stretched across his lips.

Your fingers drifted down to his shirt, ghosting over his heart and lingering across where the faint scar on his chest still remained under his clothes. The memory was distant yet so fresh every time you used your skills.

It was the most afraid you had been in your entire life, watching the life slowly drain out of the man you loved. It had been a fluke, a freak accident inside the blacksmith shop where he worked that left him mortally wounded.

The sharp rod of metal that had pierced his chest should have killed him. Except in a panic you had discovered your curious ability. In a flash of white light, he had been healed, the brown scar shaped like a small coin on his chest the only reminder that he had been injured at all. Taehyung said he’d seen the light burst from you, that he’d watched through tear-filled eyes as you glowed like the sun and laid your hands on him. Felt the euphoria as you’d cradled his life with your light and sewn him back together whole.

But magic was a dangerous commodity, one that shouldn’t exist according to many, that had launched wars in other kingdoms if any of the stories were true. So you both kept the miracle to yourselves, telling no one of your gift. You didn’t care, grateful that you were able to use it at least once to save the person most important to you. And occasionally to remove scuffs and scrapes from his beautiful face.

“Thank you, love. I’m sorry,” he whispered, slipping his arms around your waist and tugging you forward to sit between his legs.

“Mr. Cho better not refuse to pay me for the rest of that monstrosity of a dress thanks to you,” you complained, but leaned into his chest anyway. “In fact, he should be paying me extra for having to deal with the nightmare that is Hyewon in the first place.”

Taehyung chuckled at your whining, the feel of it vibrating against your cheek. The dim glow above you faded as you called the light away and instead enjoyed the warm feel of Taehyung’s arms around you in the cool night air.

His lips found yours in the moonlight that filtered between tree branches, as if they were drawn to your mouth like an innate destination. The taste of his honey-laced drink still lingered on his breath and you soaked him in like your own personal spirit.

His lips parted from yours, strong hands gripping your body closer.

“Mother above, I want nothing more than to take you right here in the dirt,” he breathed, fingers slipping down the sides of your skirt. You reached out quickly, giving his hand a light slap in reproach.

“Number one, don't bring the mother into this,” you scolded. “She has better things to do than listen to your needy whining.” Taehyung pouted again, pressing his lips into your neck in a weak bid to convince you anyway.

“Number two,” you pressed on though the call of his lips was difficult to ignore. “You've already done that before.” His lips didn’t leave your neck, and you felt the cocky smile stretch across them.

“And number three, you can have me in the dirt as much as you like once we’re married, but I’d rather not explain crushed leaves and mud stains on my dress to my aunt and uncle tonight.”

He huffed in defeat, leaning up and kissing your cheek instead. You pulled yourself out of his lap at that, dusting off the skirts of your dress and placing a hand on your hip. Taehyung sighed again in disappointment, but shoved himself to his feet anyway.

“I’m sorry, my love. But you heard my aunt. I have to get home and help her.” He took your hand again, hooking his fingers through yours, and began heading back towards the lights of the town.

“What’s going on at your house that she needs your help this late?”

“Honestly, I wish I knew. She's been in such a sensitive mood lately, as if she wants to spend every waking moment with me. So we cook, we clean, we do whatever silly projects she’s thought up. It feels more like she’s trying to keep herself busy and dragging me along with her.”

“Is she nervous about something? Big order coming up maybe?” You shrugged and stepped back out onto the dirt and stone path of the town, staring up fondly at the almost fully fat moon hanging overhead. The romantic glow it was casting on Taehyung’s face was almost enough to have you dragging him back into the trees and letting him have what he wanted in the dirt.

But, like a responsible niece, you let him walk you home instead, chatting and laughing and never letting go of his hand. Once you were just outside your family’s small cottage, Taehyung held you back for just a moment, pulling you close to him and gracing your lips an indulgent kiss.

“I love you, my everything.” His deep voice made the words vibrate where his lips met your jaw, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist.

“I love you more, my everything,” you said, threading your fingers through inky strands of his unruly hair, musing that if he kept letting it grow he’d soon need something to tie it back with. “Why don’t you meet me tomorrow at the church just before sunset? I’ll be at the shop all day, but I guarantee I’ll be free to relax by then.”

“You’re asking me on a date? How scandalous,” he said with mock incredulity that quickly turned to a whine as you tugged at his hair in response.

* * *

"The veil should fall just two inches shy of the hem, but you have to take into account when I'm walking through the softer grass of the gardens that I may sink a little, so my maids will need to be able to pin it up a bit more and very quickly."

You watched Hyewon's unstoppable maw flap open and closed without end, switching the hand supporting your head from the right to the left and back again as she droned on.

"And make sure to use all the faux gemstones my mother brought you, but you know, like, put them in a very tasteful way. I don't want them to look tacky or anything. But I want every inch of the dress sparkling with them."

What would it be like to never have to hear her voice again, you pondered. Would that someone could grant you the ability to mute the incessant twittering pouring from her mouth. You sighed, wondering why you weren't gifted with that power instead.

"And you'll need to make sure-"

“Hyewon," you interrupted, hopping down from your stool and circling around the counter to stand next to your red-faced patron. She had worked herself up with her requests, fretting for what felt like ages about every detail and you’d had more than enough. With a guiding hand you motioned towards the door of your little shop, fingers pressing against the small of her back in suggestion.

"Hyewon, my dearest customer, we've gone over the details a million times. Your last fitting is scheduled for next week. All the jewels will be attached as you've asked, we'll do final measurements, and you'll have your dress ready two weeks before your actual wedding."

"Yes, but-"

"You remember how stunning you looked in the dress I made for your engagement party, don't you?"

"Yes, but-"

You opened the door to the tinkling sound of the shop's bell and nudged her through the threshold. "I take the utmost care of my customers, Hyewon. Auntie Sunsoo and I will make sure you are a marvel at your wedding. The shop is closing now, but I will see you at your fitting next week, alright?"

Hyewon caught a hand on the sill of the door, her watery eyes pleading with you in worry. "Y/N, I really must look like a princess. My father is so angry that I'm spending so much on this dress. I have to look perfect!"

"Trust me, Hyewon. You're already a princess without the dress. You have nothing to worry about." You waved a hand, brushing her fingers from the frame and as politely as you could muster, pushed the door of your dress shop closed with a satisfying click.

"Have a lovely evening," you called through the glass with a wave, slipping the lock into place before turning on your heel and escaping into the rear workroom of the shop.

Hyewon's dress lay draped across your sewing table in all its glittering, cloud-like glory. You huffed at the hideous monstrosity, swearing to yourself that you would be damned if you wore a white, bedazzled dress to your own wedding.

After having spent much of the afternoon sewing what felt like the seven-hundredth gem — it was actually only the one-hundred and sixty-second, but who was counting — onto the reams of white gossamer and lace in front of you, you were sick of the materials, sick of the color, and sick of the constant reminder that it wasn't yours.

Bitterness nipped at the edges of your pride that you weren't instead set to the task of sewing your own stupid wedding dress. One that absolutely wouldn't be white. Maybe a soft purple instead or a sky blue, you mused. Though what was the point of musing when it felt like it would never happen at all.

Your aunt having long returned home, you locked up the back door of the shop and hurried yourself through the village, weaving your way through the people milling about on the roads as the day drew closer to a close. Your footsteps hurried with purpose as you headed into the edge of the thick woods that kissed the outskirts of the village.

The late afternoon stretched on like all the rest, finding you hurrying through peach-colored rays of sun as they stretched across the beautiful forest around and below, a blanket of deep green and sparkling yellows, contrasted with rich browns of earth. Here and there you passed bursts of other colors, purple and red, blue and white, wildflowers nestled in blades of grass and circling the feet of trees like rings of floral protection. Just the sight of it eased the tension that had crept into your neck.

And there, at the end of a gray, stone path that you swept every other day, was the small, but beautiful church building, backdropped by the sky like an ambient painting come to life. You hurried up to the darkly-colored upper floor, wondering if Tae had already beat you there thanks to Hyewon’s prattling, but the room remained empty.

You headed over to the window that overlooked the church gardens, stroking your fingers along the smoothly lacquered wood of the windowsill with a measure of fondness in your touch. The clergy had moved on from this place over a year ago, relocated to the much larger, much newer church in the center of town and left you with a comfortable escape inside the place you now called your home away from home.

You had formed a bond with this old building. You kept the inside clean and as dust-free as possible, especially the upper floors. In the corner lay the pile of pillows and blankets you kept, often finding yourself curled up there with your drawing papers, dreaming of dress designs, sneaking in a lazy nap between your work, or participating in certain other activities that probably shouldn’t happen in a church. Although, you rationalized, it was technically just an old building now.

As the old church was set just atop a hill, the angle at the windows panned out across the forest canopy and just beyond, giving you a full view from above of Tarrin, the modest village that you'd called home as long as you could remember. Fairly prosperous and built by a people with tenacity and abundant resources from the nearby woods, the homes of Tarrin were beautifully crafted even looking on from this distance. You could just barely make out the silhouette of the little home you shared with your aunt and uncle, just next to the dress shop where you worked with your aunt. And further along the town line, the beautiful farmhouse that you hoped would one day become your family home. That is, if your boyfriend ever intended to make you his wife.

You felt a sudden pressure at your waist, a sizable, yet gentle hand slipping past you, joined soon by another at your other side. Long fingers wove themselves together across your abdomen, pulling you back slightly and cradling you against a particularly broad and sturdy chest.

"Who would've guessed that the world's most beautiful work of art was right here in Tarrin, standing in a forgotten windowsill and taking away my every breath." His words fell softly on your ear, whispers like decadent hot chocolate, warming you from inside to out.

“You're late, Tae,” you whined in complaint, though you truly weren’t the least bit upset as your boyfriend’s lips left tender trails of kisses across your ear and down the side of your neck.

“I disagree. I was on time, but I made sure to spend a few moments appreciating the view,” Taehyung whispered, nose nudging against your cheek. The softest lips were pressed onto your temple and you closed your eyes, leaning into his kiss with pleasure. Never hesitant about expressing his love for you, Taehyung’s lips often found ways that reaffirmed his feelings without words. And you would forever speak their language.

Which is why you ignored the impatient longing to finally call yourself his wife, and instead embraced that you were simply his just as he was simply yours. You felt the slow movement of his hand as it slipped down your side, stopping at the rear of your dress and giving one of your cheeks a healthy squeeze. So apparently his mood had persisted through the night, you smiled to yourself.

“Pretty words will only get you so far,” you chided, but truthfully, Taehyung’s pretty words were everything to you.

"Mmm," he hummed against your skin, his other hand joining the first at the opposite cheek, pressing his fingers into the flesh there through the material of your dress. "I'm hoping they'll get me all the way."

You laughed and slid your hands behind you, pushing his away and turning yourself around in his arms so you could, at last, look at your lover. Your eyes met his and your heart did a flip in your chest as he stared at you with tangible adoration.

You reached out a finger, stroking it across the sharp line of his jaw and he closed his eyes, nuzzling his face towards your touch as it roamed down his neck, your fingers brushing the collar of his shirt. He was truly a sight to behold. The sun-kissed color of his skin, the honey-brown of his wide, round eyes, the temptation of his full, pink lips. He spoke highly of you, but the real work of art was in front of you, a glimpse of heaven captured across the surface of his face.

“What are you doing, my everything?” he asked softly.

“Appreciating the view,” you whispered with another stray stroke of your thumb.

He chuckled, tugging your hand away and instead kissing your fingertips.

“I look better with the clothes off,” he said and you laughed again, slapping a hand against his chest. The nerve of that mouth.

Taehyung leaned forward, nudging your body back until you could feel the cool glass of the window through the thin material of your summer dress. The sunlight streaming through got caught in his eyes, a mischievous gleam sparkling in them as he leaned closer. His lips meeting yours felt like a seal completed, the joining of what you could only describe as right.

Nothing was more soothing to your senses than closing your eyes and giving yourself fully to Taehyung's kiss. You always mused that you could spend days doing nothing but kissing him, and it often felt like you did, losing track of every moment as soon as his lips touched yours. The scent of him was slowly enveloping you, like sweat and grass and molten copper. It smelled like all those things, like ripe apples and freshly tilled dirt. But mostly like home.

His hands had not stopped their mission, returning to make impressive squeezes at the flesh where your thighs and backside met. A familiar warmth began spreading between your legs, low burning and slowly rising. A moan escaped you and Taehyung, never one to miss an opportunity, slipped his tongue past your parted lips to meet your own. He leaned in closer still and for one second you feared you might go tumbling through the window. The thought was fleeting however, brushed away as his hands tugged up the hem of your dress, the warm flesh of his palms finally meeting skin.

Pulling away from your mouth, his lips left a damp trail down your cheek and dotted along your jaw while his hands pulled your body impossibly closer. You moaned softly when met with his own excitement, stiffly pressing into your hips.

"What did I do to deserve holding you in my arms like this, hm?" he purred into your neck before making you shudder, kissing the sensitive spot just below your ear.

"I'm not quite sure," you said, surprised by the desperate rasp in your voice. But he did have a way of making you ache for him in record time. "M-maybe we should get out of here. Give us time to reevaluate what you deserve."

And then a squeal was escaping your lips as his hands slid along your legs, scooping you up and into his arms from underneath.

"That won't be necessary. I've got you now and I have no plans to let you go. You're stuck with this smithy for the rest of eternity."

"Eternity? Is that all?"

He huffed a laugh, carrying you to the pile of downy blankets that were especially useful for the scandalous activities you shared with your boyfriend in this former house of worship.

“If there’s anything beyond that, you’ll be with me then too. I’m not meant to exist without you, after all.”

Laying you down and leaning over you, Taehyung wasted no time in reconnecting his mouth with yours, parting only every so often to whisper sweet nothings. His lips and words were a package deal. For every kiss, Taehyung had quiet murmurs to follow. How your beauty made him weak. How you alone had his heart. How happy he would make you for the rest of your life. How your cunt tasted sweeter every time his tongue was lucky enough to meet it.

Your fingers met his, where they were busy caressing your breasts through your dress. You moaned as he kneaded the sensitive flesh, tugging just enough on your nipples to send your body into a frenzy. The power in his hands was only matched by his skill in putting them to use. Those rough fingers, calloused by years of melding metal with heavy tools, were expertly turning up the heat in your body. He wielded you like a well-oiled machine, knowing exactly which knobs to turn and buttons to press.

“I swear I’d never need to eat again if I could only swallow the sound of you cooing for me that way for all my years,” he whispered into the skin of your neck, the deep honey of his voice sending tingles across your skin. You keened in response.

His hand left your breasts then for a lower target, tugging up the front of your dress. His eyes went to yours and you met his, holding his gaze until the quick feeling of his thumb across your damp underthings had you squeezing your eyes shut.

“Taehyung,” you panted and even with your eyes closed you could see his toothy smirk.

“Calling my name like that and I've barely touched you. How loud will you be for me tonight, my love?” So smug, you smiled to yourself.

He pulled away then and you opened your eyes, watching him tug his shirt up over his head, tossing it aside and kicking away his pants. He reached for your dress and you lifted your hips, letting him pull it up and over your head, leaving you only in your panties, bare-breasted before him.

You reached up at the sight of him, hands slipping across his neck and down to his chiseled chest, looking down to watch his thick length, stiffened, upright, and tapping gently against his belly. No longer the chubby-faced boy you grew up with, Taehyung's body was work-hardened from spending most of the past decade swinging heavy tools at his workshop or chasing rambunctious animals around his family's farm.

The width of his eyes shimmered as he looked at you, as if you were the whole world. His gaze made you feel more beautiful than anyone else ever would. He leaned down, his lips moving along a well-traversed path down your body, fingers peeling your last bit of clothing down your thighs, leaving you open and bare.

He disappeared between your legs with a lopsided smile, the hands on your thighs kneading the flesh there. And then you felt the electric jolt of his tongue against your skin. He licked across the lips of your sex, slow, teasing laps of your skin that had you whining for more. Seemingly satisfied with your neediness, you felt his tongue dip inside you, slipping from your dripping entrance at an agonizingly slow pace up towards your aching clit.

“Taehyung, please,” you begged. He made another slow stripe in response and you wanted to cry out. Another few long drags and you did, panting his name.

“Let me enjoy the taste of you, beautiful,” he said in a low growl, then pressed against your button, widening his tongue and giving it a slow lick. He seemed to enjoy making you whimper more, his tongue continuing its agonizing dance, toying with you for too many more agonizing moments.

The nerve of that mouth.

“You’re dripping wet for me, my love,” he whispered and you stared down at his face, lips glistening with your slick. Desperately you tugged at the long strands of his hair, not even realizing when your hands had made it there.

He slipped a finger inside you in response, then another and you threw your head back as his tongue met you again, this time in faster strokes. You wanted to beg for him to stop, to fill you up with himself instead. But Taehyung knew you’d appreciate the stretch first. Your first time together had been more pain and clumsiness between you than pleasure. Over time, as you’d learned each others bodies, he knew how to prepare you better for the size of him.

You moaned louder and louder at the deep rub of his fingers against your folds, knuckles spreading and rolling inside you.

You whined when his tongue left you again, wanting to press his head back into place. His fingers remained, keeping up their slow strokes inside you, but his wet face was back at your neck. If there was one rule he enjoyed breaking, it was leaving you with his marks, little traces to remind you of your time together whenever you looked at your body in the mirror. He bit down on you, just enough to barely sting, and you breathed his name and a few curses as he rudely sped his finger’s efforts.

“Please,” you begged, gripping his impressive length between your fingers, sliding them over the soft heat of him. “I want you, baby.”

“I want nothing but you ever again, Y/N,” he said, mouth meeting yours, his tongue scented with your taste pressing past your lips. His thumb made one more lasting sweep across your clit and then his body was hovering over yours, pressing your legs apart with his thighs. He finally slipped himself inside you and although you felt prepared, you never were.

“Mother above,” he breathed as he pressed forward, burying himself to the hilt into your wetness.

He made long stokes, pulling his cock out to the tip only to bury himself again with a dizzying thrust. You cried out each time your hips met, and Taehyung’s deep moans danced in your ears alongside. Though he was the only lover you’d known, you knew you'd never want any other.

“F-ffuuuck,” he hissed out his curse, the long hair of his dark fringe sticking to the sweat forming on his forehead. His half-lidded eyes were focused on yours, closing every so often between desperate thrusts.

“I love you,” he murmured between feverish kisses.

“I love you, Tae,” you panted back, rocking your hips to meet his, encouraging him to speed his movements against you and he obliged.

Soon his hips slowed again, his focus renewed on your lips. Taehyung did this whenever you made love, not only because he couldn't get enough of your lips against his, but to help him cool down when he was getting too close. Though you were more than ready to be his, having his children before being married wasn't an option either his parents or your aunt and uncle would approve of. So he made sure not to fill you with his seed, pacing his release against your pleasure.

Before long his thrusts were increasing again, wet mouth slipping from your lips to your neck. His teeth grazed the skin and you sucked in at the slight pain. He was pounding into you, burying himself between your folds over and over and you felt the taut bubble in your core threatening to pop.

Without words, he knew. He knew your body better than you did, dipping his face to pull a nipple into his mouth.

“Come apart for me, my love,” he purred.

“Tae…” was all you could manage, the quietest whimper falling from your lips.

“Let me hear you, baby. I want the whole world to know you’re mine.”

You cried out, body shuddering as your pleasure reached its peak, rippled across your skin and deep within. His hips rocked against you in sharp repetition, fucking you through your orgasm, moans in satisfying, deep tones floating from his lips as he let himself chase your pleasure. He was growling into your neck, hips bucking noisily against the wet mess between you.

And then he was off of you, your body shuddering at the sudden loss of warmth. He grunted through clenched teeth and you could hear the soft splatter of his seed landing nearby on the wooden floor.

Then the warmth was back, wrapping you up in strong arms, peppering kisses across your cheeks, your lips, your eyelids. He pulled you down into your cocoon of blankets, wrapping your naked bodies in the cloth and holding you like he would never let go. As much as he loved to wax romantic at most times, Taehyung was often quiet at this point. He preferred showing his love, never-ending kisses across your skin, holding you so tight and so close you thought one day you might be absorbed into him.

This was love. Lying here in Taehyung’s arms, making love at the sunset, burying yourself in his chest while his lips found a home on you over and over.

It had been two years that he’d officially courted you, but truthfully the love between you started long before. When you were still fresh-faced children, splashing chilly water on each other in the lake or giving chase around thick tree trunks in the forest. And the day his lips had finally found yours, while you laid together beneath the apple trees at the edge of his parent’s farm, you knew there was nothing else you would ever want.

“It’s getting late, my love,” you said, reluctantly breaking the blissful quiet.

“A little longer,” he responded quickly, pulling your body closer still and burying his nose in your hair. You granted him a few more minutes of reverie, enjoying the afterglow of your love making. But the light outside quickly faded to dark and the fear of your aunt coming to seek you out was getting the better of you. She always had a sixth sense for finding you when she wanted.

“Tae…”

“One day soon,” he mumbled into your hair, “I'll be able to hold you all night. Now that my apprenticeship is over and I have my own shop, it won't be long before I'm wealthy enough to make you my bride.”

“You could do that now. I don't need you rich, I just need you.” The frustration creeped back in. What ideal time was he waiting for? All you wanted was to be his, to fall asleep in his arms every night and grow fat with his children. Your uncle was a stern man to be certain, but with how kindly he treated Taehyung, you had no doubt he’d give his blessing, wealthy or not.

“Your aunt and uncle might say differently. I have to prove to them that I can take care of you, that I can provide for you.”

“I provide well enough for myself, thank you very much,” you huffed.

“Yes, my love,” he said. “And thanks to you taking care of yourself, Hyewon’s father was ready to knock my teeth out yesterday.”

You turned over in his arms, kissing the no longer swollen cheek where the old man had landed his lucky punch. “Tell his obnoxious cow of a daughter not to ask for every inch of that damn dress to be custom made and I wouldn’t have to charge so much. Does he think I enjoy sewing on four-thousand seven-hundred and eighty-two goddamn beads individually? I deserve to be paid for that.”

“You'll be a famous dressmaker,” he pressed on, quieting your grousing with his lips ghosting across your forehead. “And I'll tug those fancy dresses off and make love to you every night. And we'll have twelve children and if the Nine will grant my selfish heart one more blessing, they'll all as beautiful as you.”

“Twelve now?” you asked with a smirk. “The number’s gone up again.”

“I think my number is pretty reasonable.”

You nodded, pressing your face into his neck and breathing in the earthy scent of him. “I’ll settle for nothing less.”

A few moments later and you were up. Taehyung helped you slip back into your dress, tugging on his clothes afterwards. His hands settled on your waist again, pulling you forward and staring into your eyes.

“Your magic is showing,” he said, the smile that spread across his face full of nothing but love — alright, and maybe a little arrogance — at the sight of you. You glanced up, seeing the little ball of light you'd unknowingly called out and suddenly feeling the tug of your powers hidden somewhere beneath the sheer happiness you felt at being in his arms.

“If you make one more joke about your cock making me glow-"

“It happens every time we make love. Can’t a man be proud of his skills?” he said, boxy smile widening across his face. You laughed and leaned your face against his chest.

“I love you infinitely, Kim Taehyung.” He leaned your head back, lips on yours with the gentlest kiss.

“You are my sun, moon, and stars, Y/N. I'll make you my wife very soon.”

“Sooner, please. I really don't want to wait any longer.”

“As soon as I possibly can,” he reassured you once more with another kiss. You sighed in bliss before reluctantly pulling away from him.

“I better go. Auntie Sunsoo will be so angry if I'm not back soon. It’s gotten dark.”

He offered you a hand and began leading you towards the stairs. “I’ll be helping at the farm all day tomorrow. If you get bored and want to watch a grown man wrestle pigs, come by.”

You grumbled. “It's not fair that you have to run your own shop and help at the farm too. Your little brother should be helping.”

“He's still doing his masonry apprenticeship, cut him some slack. My parents need the help.”

“I'm just sour every moment I can’t spend with you,” you pouted.

“Funny,” he chuckled, lips brushing against your temple. “You taste sweet to me every time.”

* * *

After you let Taehyung bruise your lips with more passionate kisses and after insisting that he didn't need to walk you home, you practically floated down the quiet, evening roads of Tarrin, enjoying the fresh, late night breeze on your still yet flushed skin. He usually left you that way, your body warm and tingling, the love you felt bubbling happily in every pore.

You didn't bother to wipe the smile from your face as you headed inside the front door of your home. But when you heard the sounds of unfamiliar voices coming from the kitchen, you paused your reverie. Your aunt hadn't mentioned anything about having company today, but her and your uncle did sometimes like to entertain their friends from the village.

“I can’t believe how big you’ve grown, Jungkook," you heard your aunt cooing, in the same motherly way she sometimes doted on Taehyung.

"You've grown well into that body, boy. I bet your father's proud, Nine rest his soul."

You heard a shy laugh and maybe a clap on the back. Poking your head past the threshold of the kitchen, you paused, curiously taking in your family's guests.

Your eyes were immediately met by one of them, sharply shaped at the corners, but rounded and soft with an almost innate kindness. He smiled politely at you and stood immediately from his seat. It wasn't until he was fully upright that you realized he was wearing a full set of metal armor which clunked across his impossibly broad shoulders as he stood.

Everyone else's attention turned towards you then. The second guest stood next to the first, a matching set of armor clinking along with him. His gaze fell on you and the smile melted from his face, doe eyes growing wide as his mouth fell open slightly.

"Y/N-" he said, voice thick with some feeling that you couldn't comprehend. How did he even know your name? You were sure you’d never met him before. The taller man nudged an elbow into his shoulder and he jumped a little before bending towards you in a deep bow.

"Your highness," he said. The other fell into a graceful bow and repeated the phrase.

"Your highness."

What?

You looked in confusion at your aunt and uncle, anxiety growing at their somber expressions. There was a telling crease in your uncle's forehead, the kind he always got when he was worried about something.

"We'll give you some privacy," the taller man said and you could see the sympathy on his face as he exchanged glances with your aunt. And then he was stepping past you with a slight bow and out the front door. The second guest followed, though he held your eyes for a moment and you noticed the pink flush that had crept up his neck. With a bow he was out the door as well.

You turned to your aunt and uncle and blinked a few times. They both exchanged glances, shifting uncomfortably on their feet.

"Are either of you going to tell me what that was about? Are they from an acting troupe or something?”

"Sit down, Y/N," your aunt said quietly, waving a hand to one of the open seats at the table. And in your confusion you didn't argue, taking the closest seat and looking at them both expectantly. Your aunt sat next to you and took your hands into her own. Usually as sharp-witted and fierce as they came, she looked almost timid sitting before you. It was unsettling.

"There's something we need to tell you."

"Clearly," you said, surprising yourself with the shrill fear in your voice. Dread was creeping up the back of your neck. Your aunt was still hesitating, mouth opening and closing as if the phrase she needed to utter was the most difficult thing she'd ever had to say.

"You're a princess, Y/N," your uncle mumbled out quickly and your aunt visibly winced.

Your laughter filled the house a moment later, shoulders shaking as you slapped a hand against the table.

"You guys had me really scared there for a moment. That's hilarious, you really had me convinced something was wrong." You wiped a tear from the corner of your eye.

But their faces didn't change. Your aunt took your hands into her again.

"It's not a joke, sweetheart. You really are a princess. And those two..." she paused as her voice caught in her throat. You watched a few tears roll down her cheeks and the smile finally fell from your face.

"...they're here to take you back to your kingdom tomorrow. Our kingdom."

"We're not really your aunt and uncle. Sunsoo is your governess. And I am a royal knight," your uncle continued, stepping forward and placing a hand on your aunt's shoulder. You looked back and forth between their faces, waiting for one of them to tell you it really was some kind of joke. But they remained stoic. Your aunt shed a few more tears.

"You're..." Your mind went blank. A princess?

"Sweetheart, I know it's a lot to take in, but we're telling the truth. You are the princess of Sarinan, in the westlands. We moved as far away east as we could get, ending up here in Tarrin."

"Why..." The words still couldn't come. You took your hands out of your aunt's, folding them into your own lap. You couldn't look at them, the reality of their words banging at the edges of your mind. A princess? You?

"When you were born our kingdom was in a terrible war with another. When you turned ten and showed signs of inheriting your parents gifts, they knew they needed to find a way to keep you safe."

"The royal gift of magic," your uncle cut in. "It was a target on your back in Sarinan. Our enemies would have done anything to get their hands on you, to bend your gifts to their will. So the king and queen entrusted you, their only daughter and heir, to us. Your mother used her powers to seal away your memories of growing up in the palace and any traces of magic in you, and we fled here with you where no one would know who you were."

"Those knights are here because the war is over. Because there is peace between Sarinan and Orleo. A peace hinging on-"

"Donghun, don't," your aunt cut him off. She leaned forward pulling you into her arms and gripping you in a tight hug. "You are like my own child, Y/N. I have cared for you since the day you were born. I…I only wanted you to be happy.” Her hands were stroking your hair. “My sweet, precious girl. You deserve happiness. We didn't know if we'd ever be able to go back. We….we didn't...know." She was gasping between sobs now, tears wetting the shoulder of your dress. You felt numb.

"Sunsoo..." your uncle said, his other hand coming to her shoulder, offering a gentle squeeze.

"Alright," she sniffled, releasing you from her arms, but still holding your hands. “Alright.”

"A peace hinging on your betrothal to the crown prince of Orleo," your uncle finished.

The world broke then, shattered into razor sharp pieces of frail glass. You couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear anything. Except for beautiful Taehyung's face, the smile stretched across it as you lay together hours ago. The rough touch of his hands against your skin. The way he said your name, the weight of the galaxy paling in comparison to the immeasurable bonds of his love when you heard him speak.

You shot up from your chair, ripping your body away from your aunt.

"You're mad," you said, voice trembling, hands shaking. "Both of you have gone mad, this isn't real. It's not real. Tell me it's not real!"

At your rising voice, your aunt sobbed into her hands and your uncle stepped towards you, but you backed away.

"Taehyung. What about Taehyung? I-I can't marry some strange man I don't know. I have to marry Taehyung! I have to stay here in Tarrin with my family and...and!" You were shouting now, hysteria creeping up your throat and tightening around the back of your head.

“We didn’t want to deny you your happiness and that boy made you so happy. By the time you were courting, it was too late to stop things between you. But we would never have been able to let you wed.” Your uncle, often rough with his words, was quiet now, strangely gentle as he spoke, as though he’d practiced the lines in his head a thousand times.

Your arms dropped uselessly to your side as your dreams fell away from you. An audible crack, the sound of your heart breaking echoed through the room. Who cared if you were a princess? Was that meant to be a dream? Were you supposed to be happy at that outrageous news?

“He’s asked me for your hand already. Twice," your uncle admitted. He stared ashamedly at the table, at your aunt who had quieted her cries and only looked up at you with red eyes. "He’s a good, honest man and I know he loves you true. Believe me when I say my heart broke each time I had to tell him no. But he just smiled and said he would keep working to become worthy enough to be your husband.”

“I’m so, so sorry," your aunt said weakly. "We didn’t know if we would ever be able to return, if Sarinan would still exist once the war ended. We didn't know, Y/N.”

Your feet were moving before you could form another thought. You ran for the front door, ignoring the shouts of your name from the pair in the kitchen. When you stumbled your way through the door, the cool air of the night told you the tears were already there, streaming down your cheeks. It wasn't true. It wasn't.

A strong hand gripped your wrist and you rounded on your captor. The younger boy from before was holding onto you, flecks of moonlight reflecting in the wide discs of his eyes. Concern was pressed between his eyebrows.

You struggled in his grip without words, but he held fast. "Please, Y/N. Please calm down."

You heard the frustrated scream rip from your throat. You had to get away, but his grip was too strong for you to break.

“Let her go. She is your princess, Jungkook,” your uncle’s voice boomed from the doorway.

“That's exactly why she needs to stay here with us." He turned back to you, pleading with his eyes. "How can we keep you safe if you run off somewhere in the dark?”

But you struggled more, screamed again and Jungkook's hand went slack, letting you rip your arm away. You clutched your wrist and stared at the four of them, the melancholy in their faces as they all looked at you, the tears still streaming down your aunt’s cheeks. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. Your feet were moving again, carrying you to Taehyung's family farm faster than you knew they could, kicking up gravel and dirt as you ran.

As you threw open the front gate, your eyes began stinging with fresh tears. They wanted to take you away, to marry you off to someone you'd never met. This couldn't be real. Who would want to be a princess when it meant giving up the very person you loved the most?

This was no fairytale. This was a nightmare.

"Y/N?" Your head whipped around, spotting Taehyung's younger brother, Sungjae, standing near the kennel and tossing scraps from their evening meal to the hunting dogs inside.

"Mother above, are you alright?" he exclaimed in worry after taking in your face and hurrying over to you.

"Sungjae," you reached out to him, tightly gripping the collar of his shirt. "Where is...where..." you were still having trouble forming words.

"I'll-I'll go get Tae. Stay here, alright?"

Taehyung came bolting around the corner of the house a few moments later, rushing up to you and pulling you into his arms. You fell into them as naturally as breathing. The scent of him was the same as before. Home, he was home.

You started sobbing into his chest.

“Hey. Hey hey, what’s wrong? Y/N, what happened?”

You shook your head, unable to stop the tears, the shivers wracking your body.

"Y/N," he murmured and you felt yourself being lifted, carried. You continued crying into his shirt, the tears forcing their way through. Then you heard his voice, vibrating deep and soft in your ear as he stroked your hair.

_“In a little stream, there’s a tadpole._

_Wriggle, wriggle, wriggle around._

_Hind legs out, forelegs out,_

_hopping, hopping, he became a frog._

_wriggle, wriggle, wriggle, wriggle-”_

"Stop," you protested weakly, launching a meager punch into Taehyung's chest for singing that silly, childhood song. But it had calmed you down a little. You sniffed and took in your surroundings. He had carried you into the barn, sitting himself into a pile of hay and pulling you into his lap.

You wiped your eyes with the back of your hand and stared up into his worried face. Patiently, he waited for whatever you needed to say.

“They're taking me away,” you sniffled.

“What do you mean, my love? Who’s taking you where?”

You took a deep breath to steady yourself and told him everything, told him what your aunt and uncle had told you, about the knights that had appeared in your kitchen.

Taehyung gave a sad chuckle. “That makes so much sense. Of course you're royalty.”

“Tae, they're saying I'll leave in the morning. How can they come and rip me from my home? From...from you? By the Nine...”

The sobbing started again, your body wracked with despair. How could your life change so suddenly? How could your aunt...she wasn't even your aunt...how could she just never tell you the truth? How could she and your uncle watch you fall in love as you had and say nothing?

“Y/N, please don't cry anymore. Please, my love.”

You sniffled again, trying desperately to calm yourself down.

“You're so beautiful with all these tears, it’s like watching the sunrise weep. But I still prefer your smile. Smile for me?”

You nodded, trying your best to breathe.

“Where are they taking you, do you know the name of the kingdom?”

“Sarinan. Somewhere far west.”

Taehyung nodded and pressed a light kiss onto your wet cheek. “Then we will go to Sarinan.”

“We?” you blinked wet eyelashes in surprise. Taehyung's lips brushed lightly against your other cheek.

“Princess or not, you are my sun, moon, and stars. Wherever you go, I'm following the light.”

You leaned against him. Of course he would follow you. There was no one else meant for you the way Taehyung was.

“I'm sorry,” you said.

“What could you possibly have to be sorry for?”

“I was so frustrated that you hadn’t asked me to marry you. Only to find out that you’d been trying.”

Taehyung didn’t respond for a moment, instead leaning his face into your hair. “I was worried you would get tired of waiting and find someone else your uncle might approve of,” he confessed. You could hear the sadness making his voice waver. He had been suffering too. “So I worked hard. Harder everyday.”

His arms tightened around you, pulling you closer against his chest. As if he had ever had to worry. As if you would ever want anyone else but him.

“My uncle said I’m betrothed to some prince. I wonder, when I refuse to marry him, will I be allowed to marry who I want instead? Does a princess have such freedom?”

“You are you before anything else,” was his calm response.

He held you quietly as you tried to turn over the thoughts in your head, still trying to convince yourself this was only a nightmare. That you’d fallen asleep in Taehyung’s arms and only needed to wake up for it to be over.

“Don't be afraid, my love. I‘ve always known you were meant for something special. And I also know that we’re meant to be together, no matter what.”

“Tae…”

His lips found yours then, kissing away the knot that had formed in your stomach. No matter what others planned of your future, you would be with Taehyung. Of that much you were certain.

“Let’s go inside and talk to my parents,” he offered. “Maybe they know something about this kingdom, something that might help us.”

Taehyung’s parents met merchants from other lands all the time, selling their crops and wares. It was worth a try anyway.

As you emerged from the barn and headed towards the main house, you heard your name called by an unfamiliar, yet recognizable voice. Taehyung slowed his steps and you both spotted two figures at the end of the path heading into the farm. He tugged gently on your hand, pulling you halfway behind him in protection.

"Alright, gentlemen?" he called out. You recognized the older one first as he pushed open the gate and walked through.

“That's them,” you whispered. “That's the knights."

"Alright, lad," the older one called back and you watched the pair slowly approach you both. The glare of the younger man was piercing as he took in Taehyung, but hardened more when he spotted you partially hidden behind him.

"We never got to formally introduce ourselves earlier. My name is Seokjin," he bowed his head again. "And my young companion here is Jungkook. We are both royal knights of my lady heir’s kingdom.”

Taehyung dipped his head only slightly at the pair, but Seokjin's kind smile never faltered.

"Your uncle sent us here to make sure the two of you wouldn't do something silly like run off together. He has a great deal of respect for you...ah, it's Taehyung, right?"

Taehyung nodded again, action still short and cautious.

"I can't believe that old man would ever let you get involved with some country peasant," Jungkook huffed, crossing his arms. You tensed, felt Taehyung's shoulders tense in front of you, then relax.

“I can’t believe that old man would send complete strangers to see to his niece instead of coming here himself. Embarrassingly arrogant strangers at that,” Taehyung returned serve.

“Y/N is-” Jungkook started angrily, but cut himself off again. He looked at you, eyes still holding onto some strong emotion you couldn't place. “Her highness is meant for a greater life than whatever you think you can give her, farm boy.”

You watched Taehyung’s squared jaw clench, the way it always did when he was ready for a fight. You squeezed his hand, hoping it would be enough to quell his temper. It would be impossible to hold him back if he launched himself to attack.

“What in the Nines going on out here?”

You turned your attention towards the outburst, watching Taehyung’s father hurry down the steps of the house. Taehyung’s mother and his brother, Sungjae, hovered behind him in the doorway with hardened frowns on their faces. The elder Kim wasn’t so much larger than his son, similarly tall and muscular from years of grueling farmwork. But his presence was still towering as he stepped up in front of you both, his usual jovial demeanor turned menacing as he stared down the newcomers.

“Our apologies for the late call, sir,” the tall blond offered with a polite bow. “We are knights from a foreign land attending to business with the young lady here.”

You could tell he was trying to be cordial, clearly the more well-mannered of the pair. You finally stepped from behind Taehyung, gripping his hand tighter. Seokjin’s eyes drifted to you, accompanied by a pleasant smile.

“It's late, your highness, and we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow,” he said. “I'm sure you’ve been told the truth of everything. Please allow us to safely escort you home for the night and let us all get some rest.” His eyes shifted to Taehyung. “And I'm sure her highness will be glad to see you in the morning before we depart."

“And if I refuse to go with you?”

Seokjin’s cordial demeanor faltered for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. “Your highness?”

“In the morning, if I refuse to go with you. If I stay in Tarrin. What then?”

Jungkook sputtered, taking a step forward. “You would refuse the crown for...for-”

Taehyung’s father took a threatening step toward Jungkook, shoulders squared in defense.

"Listen. I don’t care if you two are knights of the Mother herself,” he hissed. “This is my property and you're upsetting my future daughter-in-law. So you fuck off right now or I’ll set the dogs on you."

Jungkook’s eyes hardened at Mr. Kim’s face, then flicked to you, that wistfulness you couldn’t place softening the edges a little.

“Please,” he said quietly. “Y/N, please, don’t do this. We are only here to protect you.”

You took a step back, confused at his familiar, pleading tone. "Please stop talking to me as if I know you.”

Seokjin stepped forward, placing a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder.

“Our apologies, sir,” he said, dipping his head at Taehyung’s father. “We are not here to cause any trouble. Let’s go.”

Jungkook looked hurt somehow, as though by refusing to accompany them you had done him personal harm. But how could you affect his feelings at all when you had no idea who he even was?

“I would ask that you please arrive by dawn, your highness. For your safety, we need to be out of town quickly.” Seokjin gave a final quick bow and then set off back down the road towards the streets of Tarrin. Jungkook held your eyes for a moment longer, then offered his own short bow and followed after his companion.

Taehyung’s father turned to face you both once the pair were out of sight.

“You kids alright? Just what in the Nines is going on around here?”

You and Taehyung exchanged a glance. “Well…”

After helping yourselves to glasses of cool cider from the Kim family’s basement reserve, you both explained what you had learned from your aunt and uncle earlier, including Taehyung’s plan to join you on your journey in the morning.

“Do you know anything about that kingdom that could help us?” Taehyung asked. “Or about the royal family? I feel like I should know something about the king and queen if I’m to ask for their daughter’s hand.”

“Sarinan.” Taehyung’s mother considered for a moment. “We haven’t had much dealings with people from that area. If I remember right, the country sealed itself up pretty tight years and years ago.”

“Guess now we know why,” his father said, crossing his arms. “And you’re sure these men are telling the truth? They could be slave-traders or worse.”

“My aunt and uncle know them, even talked to them about old memories,” you said. “I think it’s all real. They wouldn’t have lied to me about this.”

His father gave a grave nod, then leaned across the table and placed a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder. “Tae, my boy. I know your will is strong, but you can’t just go riding into some far off castle’s gates demanding to have their princess. They’ll kill you. And I don’t want to lose my son.”

“I won’t just let them marry her off-”

“Little bear,” his mother interrupted in her soothing voice. “I know how fiercely you both love each other. But we don’t want to lose you either. It’s best we take some time on this and think of the safest way to get you there.” She focused her gentle gaze on you. “Besides, you don’t know your parents. Perhaps they won’t force you to marry someone if you choose not to.”

Taehyung looked at you, the tense frown at the corner of his mouth reflecting what you felt: helpless. You wished you could offer some comfort. But the thought of traveling to Sarinan without him had settled in your chest, sprouting new seeds of worry.

“Da…” Taehyung said, voice heavy with desperation.

Taehyung’s father nodded, clapping down on his shoulder a few times in reassurance. “We’ll find some way to get you there, son. I promise you both.”

He stood from the kitchen table then, the conversation at an official end. That was it then. You would have to travel to this strange place without Taehyung.

"Y/N, you're welcome to stay here tonight if you like. You can sleep in Tae's room and he can share with his brother."

You nodded. Taehyung’s mother stroked your hair comfortingly before following her husband out of the room. Taehyung took you to his room and obediently left you there, heading further down the hall to say goodnight to his parents and join his brother. You felt alone in the dark of his room when you lay down. Sleep was impossible after all you’d learned, with the thought of what morning would bring looming over you like a murky cloud. But at least Taehyung’s bed was comforting. It smelled like him, like sun-soaked breezes, like metal and fresh grass.

You hadn’t been laying there long before you heard the hinge on the window swing open, Taehyung’s long limbs slipping inside and silently shutting the panes behind him.

“If your parents find out-” you whispered as he slipped into the bed with you.

“Oh, have a little faith. Sungjae and I have been sneaking into each others rooms since we could walk. Besides, you’ve got no bigger cheerleader for spending your days and nights with me than my father. He’s been livid with your uncle since the first time he refused me your hand.”

“I should’ve realized when they stopped their weekly chess matches,” you said. Taehyung’s father had always been so friendly with your uncle. Tonight wasn’t even the first time he’d called you his future-daughter-in-law. The memory made your chest ache, the fact that their relationship had changed because of who you were.

But Taehyung’s arms were around you soon, warming you through and bringing you somewhere safe. And no matter what happened tomorrow, you would need to be strong for you both if you were going to figure this out together.

Holding you in his arms, Taehyung nudged up your face, kissing your lips softly again and again. You slid on top of him, sinking deeper against his body and into his kiss. Before long his lips turned hungry, his hands roaming across your body, and you welcomed his touch. His eyes darkened in the pale of moonlight sifting in through the window, his gaze warm and comforting.

You felt him hardening beneath you as your lips danced together and you slid your legs to either side of his thighs, pressing on with fierce kisses of your own. You belonged to Taehyung and he belonged to you. Nothing and no one could take that away.

Your hands roamed down between you both, practiced fingers pulling the length of him from between the folds of his pants. You nudged aside your panties and slipped down onto his length in over-eager satisfaction, hissing slightly from the stretch. Slowly, you worked to sheath him inside you entirely, a guttural sound bubbling from his lips into your mouth at the feeling when you reached the base of him.

"Nine save me, your pussy is a fucking dream," he groaned into your mouth. He gripped your hips and you helped him rock you against his length. The skin of your thighs made soft slaps as they met his over and over, your body already so close to tipping over the edge at only his kisses.

"Taehyung," you whined, leaning forward against him, burying your face into the shaggy, dark of his hair.

He lifted his hands from your hips as you rode him, pressing back the sleeves of your dress and baring your breasts. Without hesitation, he took one into his mouth, rolling his tongue against the nipple.

You cried out, bracing your hands against his shoulders, pressing the nails of your fingers into his skin. You ground your hips against his as the thick length of him hit your right spots over and over.

"Taehyung..." He gave your nipple a soft bite in response and it was enough to send you over the edge.

Your body shuddered against him, trembling as you hit your end hard and fast. You moaned his name in soft cries, lips pressing into his neck to quiet yourself and he pulled you closer, kissing along your neck, your jaw, and back up onto your lips. You didn't stop rocking your hips against him, whimpering at the overstimulation. But you wanted him still, all of him.

“My love...my love I'm...I'm...” his voice was a desperate whisper, his hands at your hips, ready to pull you aside, but you held firm, refusing to move, continuing to roll against his hips.

“No, please. Stay inside me,” you pleaded.

He clenched his jaw and leaned up against you, fingers gripping the flesh of your ass tighter. He was groaning into your neck and you kissed along his forehead, welcoming the warm spray of his seed deep inside your womb as he came undone.

You listened as Taehyung's breath slowed to a pant, brushing against the skin of your neck, and a low chuckle rose from his throat.

“That was so stupid. So, so stupid of us.”

“I feel alright about it,” you said, leaning back and looking up at the wooden beams of the ceiling with a smile.

“And if you’re presented to your betrothed with a swollen belly, what then?”

You leaned back down, catching his eyes with yours. Half-lidded and still swimming with desire, Taehyung's gaze took you in and you pressed your sweaty forehead against his. “I'll tell him it's a baby born between me and my true love. A true love that owes me eleven more.”

* * *

Just before dawn, Taehyung slipped back out the window to make it back to his brother’s room. Not a minute later his mother was at the door to wake you, saying that Taehyung would walk you back home.

He held tight onto your hand as you both made your way through the quiet roads of Tarrin and towards the little cottage you’d shared with your aunt and uncle for so many years. A suffocating heaviness weighed on your heart as you drew closer, the memories you’d had there, in all of Tarrin, winding their way through your chest, making you ache for each one of them once more.

"I'm sure your aunt and uncle are worried sick, thinking that we’ve disappeared somewhere," Taehyung said responsibly.

" _I'm_ worried sick, Taehyung. I know you said to not be afraid, but I'm so afraid. I don't want to be without you. I was ready for this life, this happiness between you and me."

“You’ll have that no matter what, Y/N. I swear it. We'll figure something out. I promise you have nothing to be afraid of."

As you approached the cottage, you saw a head of blond hair shift near the front window. You heard muffled voices inside, then your aunt burst through the front door and nearly bowled you over into the flowers that lined the path.

“My girl. My precious girl. I just knew you’d gone. I knew you’d run off.”

“I’m here, Auntie. I didn’t go.”

She collapsed into more tears, apologizing again and again and kissing your face.

But through your fitful night, you had forgiven her already. Years of taking care of you, of teaching you everything she knew and loving you as her own couldn't be wiped away in a moment. You loved your aunt and your uncle too, even if they weren’t technically that, and had accepted the task they had been given. Besides, they had been sent away from their homes and families for all of this too.

Seokjin was standing in the entryway just behind her, tugging his breastplate down across his tunic. He smiled that kind smile at you again and it struck you how unnervingly handsome he was, thick blond hair curling just above his eyes.

Your uncle appeared near your aunt, his eyes sad as he nodded at you, then at Taehyung beside you. You turned to your boyfriend, the reality that this was it, that you would have to part ways now with no way of knowing when you would see him again sinking down on you.

“Tae…” you said, feeling the tears already building in your eyes.

“Your highness,” he said with a smirk, bending into a deep dramatic bow.

“That's not funny,” you complained.

He pulled you into a tight hug then and held you for longer than you could say. He held you like he never wanted to let you go. You didn't want him to either.

“I’m afraid too,” he said, a soft whisper in your ear. “I’m afraid of having you so far away from me, my love. I won't pretend that I'm not when I am. But I believe we’re destined to be together. You are the sky and I am your earth.”

“Kim Taehyung,” you said, your voice wavering. “You are my everything.”

He let you go, reaching up and slipping a delicate chain of silver around your neck. You spotted a slim ring of the same silver metal dangling from it, a stone of rich amethyst nestled in the center.

“I'll see you again soon, my love. To put this on your finger where it belongs.” Your fingers clasped around the ring, immediately. This ring, this necklace he’d made just for you. It filled your heart and squeezed it tight all at the same time.

“I'll wait for you. I'll write to you every single day I’m without you. Don’t let me use too much ink.”

He stroked a hand across your cheek then groaned in frustration, slipping his hands to the back of your head and pulling you into a kiss. A goodbye kiss, you realized in the ferocity of his lips and wrapped your arms around him to deepen it yourself. The ache had already begun in your heart, anticipating the void of a life not filled with him each day.

“Hey! Get your hands off the princess, you-”

Jungkook had apparently been silenced, unseen by you, by Seokjin's heavy hand at his shoulder and a tense shake of his head. Also unseen, the rude gesture Taehyung gave the brazen, young knight from behind you.

You couldn't care less. You savored every moment, memorized every inch of him, every scent, every taste.

“I love you,” he said quietly once his lips parted yours.

You nodded, fresh tears spilling down your cheeks.

“No, my love. Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” he whispered, stroking your hair. You nodded your head again, though the tears wouldn’t stop.

“I love you, my everything,” he whispered again. “I swear I will do whatever it takes to get to you.”

And in your heart of hearts, with the only family you'd ever known and the two knights meant to escort you to your new life as witnesses, you knew Taehyung meant every pretty word.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you like, you're welcome to follow me on twitter @sugaurora_ for writing updates or just to say hi! 😊💕


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